How Much Does It Cost to Run a Clothes Dryer Each Month?

Source: Planning watts of 4,000 and 0.9 hours a day, hours a day, equal to about six loads a week. Price: 17.23 cents per kWh, the 2025 US residential average from EIA Form EIA-861.

The monthly cost is 13% of the $150.68 average US electric bill. It runs all year, so the yearly cost is twelve times the monthly figure.

One figure cannot fit every home. These three cases show how much the answer moves with the equipment and the hours.

The lowest case costs $6 a month and the highest $26. Use the calculator above to match your own.

The same clothes dryer costs different amounts depending on the state, because the price per kWh differs. Here are the three cheapest states, the US average and the three costliest, for the same 109 kWh a month.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Price is residential revenue divided by sales and includes fixed charges.

See electricity rates in every state to find your own.

An electric dryer runs a heating element at 240 volts and a motor to turn the drum. The element is by far the larger part of the draw, so a load that takes 60 minutes uses close to 4 or 5 kWh.

An electric dryer draws up to 5,000 watts, and each load usually takes about an hour. Load size, moisture sensor settings and the lint trap decide how long it runs. Heat pump dryers use noticeably less electricity but run longer cycles.

The range for this kind of appliance runs from about 1,800 to 5,000 watts. At 0.9 hours a day that is $8 to $24 a month, which is why checking the label on yours is worth the minute.

• Clean the lint filter every load and the vent duct every year.
• Use the moisture sensor setting, not a timer.
• Spin clothes longer in the washer so they start drier.

Next step: Washing machine costs. For general ideas, read how to lower your electric bill.

Other appliances in the kitchen and laundry group: Refrigerator, Freezer, Washing Machine, Dishwasher, Microwave, Electric Oven, Electric Stove, Chest Freezer, Electric Kettle, Air Fryer, Coffee Maker.

The cost is watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your price per kWh. The 4,000 watts is a planning figure for this kind of appliance, set from typical product ratings, and the 0.9 hours is an assumed day of use. Neither is copied from a federal table. Federal guidance describes the method and warns that real wattage varies, so we publish our own typical ranges and label them as such. Prices come from EIA Form EIA-861 for 2025.

The calculation is the standard one used in the U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guidance on estimating appliance energy use. Wattage varies by product age and features, so the label on your own appliance beats any average. Read more in our methodology.